Clippers run win streak to four

Gregorio Petit and Ezequiel Carrera combined for six hits and four RBI to lead the
Clippers past the Rochester Red Wings 8-5 tonight in Huntington Park.

The win was the fourth straight for Columbus and its 10th in the past 11 games. A crowd of
11,271 showed up for a game that featured an intriguing pitching matchup between the Clippers'
Jeanmar Gomez (3-2, 3.15) and Rochester's Liam Hendriks (7-1, 1.84).

The two offenses had other things in mind. Both starters sported a dent or two after the first
inning.

Matt Carson said hello to Gomez with a one-out, solo home run to center to give Rochester a 1-0
lead.

The Clippers answered with a two-out rally against Hendriks in the bottom of the inning. Vinny
Rottino started the trouble with a single and stole second base.

Matt LaPorta followed with a double to right-center that tied the score at 1-1. Jared Goedert
stepped in and delivered an RBI single to drive in LaPorta and Columbus led 2-1.

Luke Carlin opened the second inning with a single for the Clippers and Petit doubled
him to third. Carrera then boosted the lead to 4-1 with two-run single to center and extended his
career best hitting streak to 18 games. Jason Donald kept the pressure on Hendriks with another
single that sent Carrera to third. Donald then stole second, but the rally fizzled.

Rottino grounded out and LaPorta lined into a double play to end the inning.

The Red Wings got back into the game in the third. Gomez walked Rene Rivera to start the inning
and Brian Dinkelman doubled him to third. Carson was up next and he grounded to Goedert at third
base. Rivera scored and Goedert's throw to LaPorta at first was wide and wild. Dinkelman went to
third on the error and Carson wound up on second.

Chris Parmalee's groundout scored Dinkelman before Gomez rebounded. He got Clete Thomas to hit a
foul pop to the catcher Carlin and struck out Wilkin Ramirez to keep the lead at 4-3.

In the bottom of the inning, Goedert made up for the error with a home run against Hendriks that
stretched the lead to 5-3.

The Clippers got to Hendriks again in the fourth. Carrera led off with a double to right that
Carson nearly caught with a last-ditch dive. With one out and Rottino at the plate, the catcher
Rivera had passed ball that allowed Carrera to take third. Rottino walked and LaPorta singled off
the glove of the third baseman Sean Burroughs to get his second RBI and up the lead to
6-3.

The Red Wings shaved the lead to 6-5 in the fifth when Carson hit his second home run off Gomez,
a two-run bomb this time.

Columbus staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning to get one of the runs back. Carlin
and Petit delivered back-to-back singles against Hendriks. Carrera added a third straight single
that scored Carlin. Petit was thrown out at the plate when he tried to score after Carrera
was caught in a rundown.

Petit drove in the final run in the seventh with a squeeze bunt that scored Tim Fedroff from
third base.

Notes: The Cleveland Indians outrighted outfielder Aaron Cunningham to the Clippers today. He is
expected to arrive before Sunday's game and his arrival will require a roster move. ... Jason
Donald (left forearm) and Matt LaPorta (left wrist) returned to the Columbus lineup tonight after
missing one game. Each was hit by a pitch on Thursday night during a 16-2 win over Toledo.
... The Minnesota Twins called up Rochester third baseman Danny Valencia before tonight's
game.